Why do this?
I haven’t liked the tone of my site lately, mainly because it feels too heavy. I’m a pretty lighthearted person usually. I don’t believe the world’s going to end. I don’t do what I do out of fear of the future.
There’s a lot of fear out there among people who are watching the economic news, and I don’t think fear is a good place to work from. You make stupid mistakes when you’re afraid. Your life becomes worse sometimes than the thing you fear.
Planning for a possible future is good. Running afraid isn’t, and I don’t want any of you to be in that frame of mind.
So I’ve been thinking about why I do what I do.
- I enjoy working with my hands.
- I like figuring out solutions to problems.
- I enjoy gardening. I like digging and planting. I don’t have much stamina (I was disabled for many years and recovery is slow), so I have to do a bit at a time. But being outdoors is soothing, and helps me spiritually.
- I’ve been interested in hunger in America for many years, and making sure my family is fed is a step. Perhaps one day I can provide for others as well, whether by selling what I grow or donating to a homeless shelter or food pantry.
- I like the challenge of reducing our energy usage. I joined the Riot for Austerity challenge back in June just to see what people were doing, not really because I was too zealous about it (I’m not a big global warming believer). But I found it’s really easy to save energy, food, money, and water, all things that are of limited supply in the world. That kind of detail work is something I’m good at.
- I dislike the whole buying/consumption lifestyle. I don’t need more stuff to make me happy. We’ve always lived below our means, and it’s very freeing.
- It’s fun to see my sons learning to tend their sunflowers, or my husband buy energy-saver light bulbs and put them in, without me even saying anything. They want to be part of what I’m doing.
- I like the idea of being self-sufficient. I think that this is an American value, and something worth pursuing for my family. Not that I don’t ever need anyone, but when my home is in order there will be that much more I can do to help others if need be.
So why are you doing this?
September 5th, 2007 at 7:31 am
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